The empirical method of research in cultural studies relies primarily on quantitative data. Empirical research observes cultures and collects numerical data and measurements, such as life expectancy, birth rates, family size, annual income and other quantifiable factors. Empirical methods depend heavily on demographic information. Once numerical data is collected, it is analyzed to characterize cultures as a whole. Critics of the empirical method say quantitative research is too often favored over qualitative research and quantitative research can be misleading or incompletely represent the complexities of culture and cultural behaviors. Exponents of the empirical approach argue it is the most objective methodology.
The sociological method of research in cultural studies considers the factors that shape and influence a society. More specifically, sociological methods examine the historical practices, political factors, economic factors, and religious beliefs and practices influencing a group. The sociological method also examines the patterns of social behavior that characterize a group. A sociological approach to the study of culture also considers the organization of families and the institutions of family that prevail. An institution reflects the social, political and economic function of a position or behavior. Motherhood, for instance, can be an individual experience, but it is also a social, political, economic and religious institution; and the global forces of the institution, no doubt, influence the experience of it on an individual level. Sociological approaches examine the macro and the micro details of culture, considering how cultural forces and the individual members of culture interplay.
The historical approach to research in cultural studies emphasizes the impact of historical events and tradition. Historically-driven researches try to contextualize and historically situate cultures in order to understand cultural phenomena and behavior. The past influences the present, and this is perhaps most apparent in traditions, such as religious rites, holidays and family conventions that persist and endure over time. By examining cultures in relation to history, cultural behavior can be better understood and analyzed.
Cultural studies may also involve anecdotal research methods, which examines personal narratives in the study of culture. Anecdotal research is closely aligned with ethnographic research, which is also aimed at personal accounts and reflections as the most qualitative forms for analysis. Anecdotal researchers collect narratives and stories from individuals in a culture or group, taking care to preserve participants' words and meanings by recording their testimonies verbatim. Anecdotal researchers also tend to ask open-ended questions so as not to influence responses. Then, researchers review narratives and testimonies to find trends or patterns that characterize culture. Proponents of anecdotal or ethnographic research argue, personal narratives qualitatively depict cultures and behavior in ways that quantitative data cannot.